Parkfield Community School

Parkfield Community School Parkfield Road, Saltley, Birmingham B8 3AX

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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This is an outstanding school

 This is a school that makes a difference to the education and lives of its pupils and their families. It fully delivers on its aim that ‘Together we can make a huge difference’.  The headteacher and school leaders provide exceptional leadership, set high expectations and pursue further improvements relentlessly. As a result, pupils flourish socially and academically and make outstanding progress.  The school serves the community in which it resides and provides support and guidance to families so that they can be fully involved in their child’s education.  All groups of pupils achieve well across the school as a result of the highly effective teaching, care, guidance and support they receive. Pupils who are disadvantaged, those who have special educational needs or disability and the most able make rapid and sustained progress.  The curriculum is wide ranging, varied and engaging. Pupils’ learning and development are

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This is an outstanding school

enriched by sports, arts, engineering and drama activities, as well as numerous trips and visiting authors.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language do better than pupils who speak English as their first language nationally in reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 1 and key stage 2.  The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength and permeates the school’s work. This is an inclusive school that celebrates diversity. As a result, pupils demonstrate respect for an individual’s age, disability, gender or gender reassignment, sexuality, race, religion or belief.  Outstanding provision in the early years enables children to make excellent progress in all areas of learning, including literacy, numeracy, speaking and listening, and personal, social and emotional, and language development. Children are exceptionally well prepared for Year 1.  The governing body provides strong direction.

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This is an outstanding school

Governors challenge and support leaders in equal measure in order to continually improve the school.  Pupils’ conduct and attitudes to learning are exceptional. They are motivated and keen to learn and do well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In the early years, make sure that all staff consistently use the assessment of children’s learning to appropriately modify and adapt activities, so that all children quickly develop their skills and deepen their knowledge and understanding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The headteacher and other leaders make sure that pupils and staff are valued, respected and do well. Leaders demonstrate a tangible desire to make sure that the school continually improves and plays its part in serving the needs of the community.  The headteacher encourages staff to be creative and innovative. For example, the school has developed ‘academies’ for English, mathematics and ‘Young Engineers’. These academies are used to deliver workshops for parents, provide early intervention for pupils not making the progress expected, challenges for the most able, and centres where staff training can be delivered. The mathematics academy has delivered a number of workshops for other schools on teaching approaches to ensure the mathematics mastery curriculum is delivered appropriately.  The headteacher and governors know the school well. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and helps to inform the school’s priorities and plans for improvement. The school’s work is frequently and rigorously

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

checked. As a result, any weaknesses are quickly identified and addressed.  Subject leaders make sure that planned actions are implemented and pupils’ progress is maintained. Leaders with responsibility for literacy and numeracy have excellent subject knowledge, provide effective support for staff and monitor pupils’ progress regularly by checking on their work.  Pupils’ knowledge and understanding are deepened and their progress accelerated as a result of a wide range of interesting, engaging and motivating lessons and extra-curricular activities. Pupils are genuinely excited about their learning and are keen to talk about their successes. Regular trips, residential visits and visiting speakers, such as authors and poets, stimulate pupils’ interest and creativity. Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to apply their reading, writing and numeracy skills across a range of subjects and activities. For example, during a writing week, the arrival of a smoking spaceship and visiting aliens in the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

school playground, accompanied by interested police officers, led to some stunning descriptive and journalistic writing.  Communication between school and home is frequent and effective. Parents have opportunities to attend a range of workshops, for example on literacy and numeracy. The vast majority of parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and who spoke with inspectors agree that the school communicates well. Almost all parents would recommend the school to another parent.  Leaders and governors use appraisal effectively to hold staff to account and to make sure the high standards are maintained. Leaders quickly challenge underperformance and put a range of strategies in place to support staff. Staff who spoke with inspectors or who completed the online questionnaire agree that the school provides effective and relevant training that helps them to improve their practice. As a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

result, teachers thrive and deliver interesting and engaging lessons, leaders lead successfully and pupils do well.  The leadership of the early years provision is strong. Areas for improvement are identified and actions put in place. For example, the outdoor area has been greatly improved. As a result, the quality of teaching, care and support is highly effective and children make outstanding progress from, at times, very low starting points.  The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key strength of the school. Fundamental British values are actively promoted through the school’s work on ‘No outsiders in our school’, which develops pupils’ understanding of how the Equality Act relates to and affects them. As a result, pupils celebrate diversity and are respectful towards others, including those with different beliefs, sexuality, gender or culture. One pupil spoke for many when she told inspectors, ‘everyone is an insider in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

our school, there are no outsiders, whatever their beliefs, whatever their colour, gender or sexuality’.  The governance of the school Governors are highly effective. They have an excellent range of skills, expertise and experience and fully represent the school’s diverse community. They have an in-depth knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Governors have produced a three-year strategic plan which informs their decisions and against which they check on the school’s progress. Governors have high expectations and ambitions for the school and these have been shared successfully with staff and parents. They provide appropriate challenge and support to the school. Governors have a clear understanding of how the pupil premium grant (additional government funding to support pupils who are disadvantaged) is spent and the impact the spending has on the progress of this group of pupils. The school has been recognised by the Department for Education for its effective

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

work in improving and sustaining the impressive outcomes for pupils who are disadvantaged. Governors are clear about how the school sports premium is spent and the impact it has had on pupils’ participation rates, adoption of active and healthy lifestyles, improved sporting performance and success in sporting competitions. For example, almost all pupils take part in a sports club, the school has been recognised by Birmingham City Council for its work to reduce childhood obesity, and the school’s sports teams are achieving success in local competitions.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective throughout the school, including in the early years. Safeguarding has a high priority in the school. Governors and leaders make sure that staff have appropriate training and that up-to-date child protection and safeguarding policies are implemented effectively. Staff are vigilant and know how to identify and respond to concerns. The school site is safe

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

and secure and assessments of potential risks have been carried out. For example, trips, visits and other activities are risk assessed to ensure that pupils are safe.  The school’s curriculum helps pupils to understand how to recognise potential dangers and how to keep safe, including from the potential risks of radicalisation, sexual grooming and other forms of abuse, including female genital mutilation. Governors and leaders have successfully completed safer recruitment training and the checks on the suitability of staff to work with children are thorough, detailed and robust.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Pupils make rapid progress as a result of the highly engaging, interesting and effective teaching they receive.  Teachers throughout the school have high expectations. There is a ‘no excuses’ culture and teachers expect all their pupils to do well.  Classrooms, corridors and other rooms, such as those used for intervention, are bright, cheerful and stimulating. Displays are up to date and celebrate pupils’ work. Teachers make sure that pupils feel safe to take risks in their learning and are not afraid to make mistakes. As a result, pupils are resilient and persevere when they encounter work that they find difficult.  Leaders have provided frequent and effective training for all staff. For example, all teachers have completed a subject knowledge enhancement course in mathematics. As a result, teachers’ subject knowledge is excellent and is used to plan learning activities that broaden pupils’ skills and increase their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

understanding. All teachers take responsibility for developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills across all subjects. They also take responsibility for ensuring that the needs of pupils who have special educational needs or disability are met. As a result, this group of pupils makes excellent progress.  Teachers know their pupils well. They use the information they have about what pupils know and can do to plan activities that help pupils to strengthen and deepen their knowledge and understanding. Teachers in key stages 1 and 2 consistently monitor pupils’ understanding and modify activities appropriately to support pupils who find the work difficult or who are ready to take on more challenging tasks. However, this practice, while not a weakness, is less consistent in early years.  Phonics is taught effectively in the early years and key stage 1 and where necessary in key stage 2. It is having a positive impact on developing pupils’ early reading skills and understanding of what they have

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

read. Reading for pleasure is promoted throughout the school. Pupils regularly visit the well-stocked library and information provided by the school shows that pupils frequently take books home. Leaders instil a love of reading early by allowing children in the early years to visit the school library with their parents. As a result of this work, pupils throughout the school read well, with fluency and expression, and demonstrate a good understanding of what they have read.  Pupils do extremely well in mathematics as they have numerous opportunities to practise calculating and solving problems quickly and accurately. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding are increased through the effective use of challenging questions and problems. Teachers skilfully use questioning to develop pupils’ mathematical reasoning. Pupils who find the work difficult or who make mistakes have additional mathematics support and help on the same day after their mathematics lesson. All pupils do well as a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

result of this early identification and intervention.  The teaching of writing is highly effective. There is a consistent focus on developing and improving pupils’ spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary. Teachers use stimulating activities to provoke pupils’ interest and to model different styles of writing. Pupils rehearse what they are going to write through discussions with their classmates and the teacher. Pupils told inspectors that this helps them to plan what they are going to write and the writing techniques they might use. Pupils have opportunities to write for different purposes and audiences and the high quality of writing is maintained in pupils’ topic work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding and is a strength of the school. Pupils’ understanding of tolerance, diversity, respect, rights and responsibilities, and equal opportunity is enhanced through thought-provoking teaching and other activities such as assemblies and visits to places of worship. The school’s work on ‘No outsiders in our school’ actively promotes fundamental British values and teaches pupils how to make a positive contribution to local, national and international communities. Prejudices and stereotypes are confronted and challenged. As a result, pupils play and work together happily and with confidence and all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed and do well.  Pupils feel safe and are well looked after. All of the parents who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, agree. An extensive programme of personal, social and health education teaches children

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Personal development and welfare

how to identify and address potential risks and dangers. Pupils have the skills to be safe when using mobile phones and the internet. They also know what to do should anyone try to persuade them to be unlawful or anti-social, or to do something against their will.  Pupils interact well with adults and visitors to the school. They have good social skills and are polite, cooperative, considerate and thoughtful.  Pupils participate in a range of sporting activities and learn how to live active and healthy lifestyles. As a result, levels of obesity have been reduced. Pupils acquire enterprise skills and financial understanding through a range of activities delivered in the recently introduced ‘Young Engineers Academy’.  Systems to track pupils’ absence are thorough and robust. Staff contact parents on the first day a child is absent and make home visits if the absence continues. No pupil is removed from the school’s admission

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Personal development and welfare

register until their whereabouts have been fully checked. As a result, pupils’ attendance, including for pupils who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs or disability, is above the national average. There are very few pupils who are persistently absent (missing more than 10% of days from school).  Leaders recognised that an increasing number of pupils were arriving late to school in the mornings. To resolve the issue, leaders introduced three ‘walking buses’ to collect and accompany pupils to school. As a result, almost all pupils now arrive at school on time.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding and makes a positive contribution to pupils’ learning. Leaders have successfully made sure that pupils manage their own behaviour. Consequently, low-level disruption in lessons is rare and behaviour around the school is exemplary. All staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently. As a result, the school is calm and orderly.  Pupils are keen to learn and do well. Their work is always well presented, neat, accurate and completed. Pupils respond eagerly and positively to teachers’ written and oral comments about their work.  Pupils told inspectors that there is little evidence of bullying and teachers quickly resolve any minor issues. All the parents who responded to Parent View agree that the school makes sure that its pupils are well behaved and tackle bullying issues effectively.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Children in the early years provision make outstanding progress from very low starting points. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has risen significantly in the past three years and is above average.  Pupils make rapid progress in reading, writing, mathematics and all other subjects as a result of the outstanding teaching and guidance they receive. A very large majority of pupils, including those who start from lower than typical starting points, are on course to meet the standards expected for their age. Many pupils across the school are on course to exceed expected standards, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Pupils’ reading skills develop quickly as a result of effective phonics teaching and successful strategies to improve pupils’ understanding of what they have read and to promote a love of reading. In 2015, by the end of Year 1, the proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the phonics screening check

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

was above average. Information provided by the school shows that this exceptional progress is set to continue.  The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard by the end of Year 2 has risen year on year for the last three years. In 2015, it was above average in reading, writing and mathematics; significantly so in writing. The proportion of pupils achieving higher than the expected standard in mathematics and writing was significantly above the national average.  The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard by the end of key stage 2 is significantly above average in reading, writing (including spelling, punctuation and grammar), and mathematics.  A very large majority of pupils in the school speak English as an additional language. The intense focus on language development and the successful teaching of reading and writing enable pupils who enter the school with little or no English to catch up. The school also provides ‘English for speakers of other

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

languages’ (ESOL) courses for parents so that they can better help their child’s learning at home. As a result, pupils who speak English as an additional language do better than pupils who speak English as their first language nationally in reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 1 and key stage 2.  The achievement of pupils who are disadvantaged is exceptional throughout the school. In 2015, at the end of key stage 1, pupils who are disadvantaged did better than other pupils nationally in writing and mathematics and achieved the same standard in reading. At the end of key stage 2, higher proportions of pupils who are disadvantaged made expected progress and more than expected progress than others nationally. Information provided by the school shows that pupils who are disadvantaged are often making faster progress than other pupils in the school.  Pupils with special educational needs or disability benefit from high-quality teaching and effective help

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

and support. As a result, pupils with special educational needs or disability do well and their progress matches that of other pupils in the school.  The most-able pupils are quickly identified in early years. Throughout the school, the most-able pupils have a wide range of opportunities to increase their understanding and use and apply their knowledge in a range of subjects and activities. As a result, the proportion of the most-able pupils doing well is above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Information provided by the school shows that those currently on roll are set to sustain and in many cases exceed the high standards of those who have left the school in recent years. The work in pupils’ books confirms that a high proportion of pupils are achieving standards well above those expected, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Pupils are thoroughly prepared for the next stage of their education. Their literacy and numeracy skills

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

are exceptionally well developed and they have acquired the necessary learning habits and skills that enable them to be confident, self-directed and successful learners.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 The school is determined that children have a successful and enjoyable start to their education. As a result, children get off to a flying start when they join the school in early years. They make rapid progress in their communication and language skills, being able to express themselves and to speak and listen in different situations, for example when playing and exploring outdoors.  The children quickly form positive relationships with other children and with staff. The children are confident and have the ability to manage their feelings and emotions. The children adapt swiftly to the school’s rules and routines. Children share, take turns and are happy to play and work with other pupils. Their behaviour and attitudes to learning are excellent as a result.  Teachers and other adults have good subject knowledge and an understanding of how young children learn. Staff provide an encouraging learning environment. They arrange resources and equipment

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Early years provision is outstanding

creatively inside and outside to engage and interest the children, to provide appropriate challenge and to sustain their concentration. The majority of staff use what they know about the children’s progress highly effectively to adapt the questions they ask and to modify what the children do. However, a very small minority of staff do not do this consistently.  Leadership of the early years provision is outstanding. The early years leader has used self-evaluation effectively to identify accurately the many strengths and the few areas for improvement. Swift action has been taken to improve the early years provision. For example, the outdoor learning and play area has been greatly improved.  From very low starting points, children make excellent progress by the end of the early years. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has increased significantly over the last three years and is above average. A rigorous focus on early reading

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Early years provision is outstanding

through effective phonics teaching, writing and early mathematics ensures that children are well prepared and ready for their transition to key stage 1.  The school works effectively with parents. There is a genuine partnership that ensures that children do well. For example, the school provides literacy and numeracy workshops for Somali parents so that they feel more confident in supporting their child’s learning at home. Parents who spoke with inspectors praised the early years team and said that they have lots of opportunities to come into school to read with their child and to attend workshops.  Safeguarding is effective. Access to areas from outside are tightly controlled, adult supervision is carefully planned and monitored, and a full range of risk assessments is in place. The checks on staff’s suitability to work with children are thorough and detailed, including the checks on staff’s potential disqualification

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Early years provision is outstanding

by being associated with another person who is disqualified.

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School details

Unique reference number 139162 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 10011181

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 3  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 741 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fatema Bari Headteacher Hazel Pulley Telephone number 0121 464 1131 Website www.parkfield.bham.sch.uk Email address enquiry@parkfield.bham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Parkfield Community School became an academy in January 2013. The predecessor school was judged good at its last inspection in January 2012.  Parkfield Community School is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is higher than average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support the learning of those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic groups, with most being of Pakistani and Bangladeshi background.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.  An average proportion of pupils have special educational needs or disability. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is in line with the national average.

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Information about this school

 The early years provision comprises part-time Nursery classes and full-time Reception classes.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at other than usual times is in line with the national average. However, there has been a recent increase in the number of pupils joining the school at other than the usual times.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school provides support, advice and guidance to a number of schools, especially for the teaching of mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection began as a section 8 short inspection. The lead inspector deemed the short inspection a full section 5 inspection at the end of the first day.  This is the school’s first inspection since converting to become an academy in January 2013.  Year 6 pupils were taking their end-of-key-stage tests during the inspection. Inspectors judged Year 6 pupils’ outcomes from an extensive book scrutiny.  Inspectors observed pupils’ learning and behaviour in all year groups and all classes, including those of children in the early years. Inspectors talked to the pupils about their learning, progress and behaviour during these observations. The views of pupils were also considered from the 15 responses to the online pupil questionnaire. Inspectors carried out an extensive scrutiny of pupils’ books to inform their judgements about pupils’ progress, attainment and attitudes to learning. Inspectors also heard children

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Information about this inspection

read. Pupils’ behaviour was observed around the school, including at breaktimes and lunchtime. Inspectors visited assemblies and intervention groups for pupils needing extra help.  Discussions took place with the headteacher, school leaders, teachers and four governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The views of parents were considered from the 209 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, from informal conversations and from a telephone conversation with a parent who asked to speak with inspectors. Inspectors also took account of the views of 66 members of staff who responded to the inspection questionnaire.  School documents were analysed, including the self-evaluation form and subsequent action plan, the checks made on staff’s suitability to work with children, governing body meeting minutes, and information about pupils’ achievement, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Peter Humphries, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Michael Appleby Ofsted Inspector Nicola Harwood Ofsted Inspector Neil Morris Ofsted Inspector Abigail Rourke Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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